User interfaces may display and facilitate user manipulation of virtual objects. For example, computer-aided design applications enable users to create, analyze and manipulate various shapes and objects. In some applications, when two objects are occupying a common area or space in the viewing environment, a drawing order of the objects may be used to display one of the objects on top of the other object.
Some technologies enable users to experience a fully or partially virtual world that includes three dimensional holograms. For example, some virtual reality head-mounted display (HMD) devices may display a fully-immersive, entirely virtual environment with no view of the real world. Other, augmented reality HMD devices may include a partially transparent display that blends a user's view of the real world with displayed virtual objects, such as holograms, and other content.
Manipulating virtual content in a virtual reality or augmented reality environment can prove challenging. For example, where a user directs one hologram of a virtual object to occupy a position at which another hologram of another object is also located, the two virtual objects may be displayed as inter-penetrating one another or otherwise being intermingled. Such behavior is markedly different than corresponding behavior of real world objects in a similar situation. Accordingly, displaying holograms in this manner may detract from the realism of the user experience.